Agenda and minutes

Mr Donald McEwan sent his apologies with Ms Diane Wilson attending in substitution.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 20 November 2019 (ESC4) and to receive information arising from them.

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 20 November 2019 were approved and signed subject to the following amendments:

Add Kim James to the list of those present;

Minute 157/19 (Minute 151/19) add ‘within the current budget’ after the word ‘expectation’;

Minute 160/19, 4^th paragraph add the words ‘for central services’ after the word ‘higher’.

Minute 161/19, 2^nd paragraph replace ‘Thompson’ with ‘Thomson’.

Matters Arising

In relation to minute 158/19 recommendation (f), the Cabinet Member for Education & Cultural Services reported that in line with the recommendation, she had written to the Secretary of State asking to restore the ability of Local Authorities to instruct schools under Fair Access and to make it mandatory for all academies to share data with the LA for safeguarding pupils.  She awaited a response.

1:10

A strategic review is being been undertaken on how Oxfordshire County Council and key stakeholders, including settings, schools, Trusts, Diocesan Authorities and parents can all contribute to further improve education outcomes for young people in Oxfordshire. This review is commissioned by Lucy Butler, Director for Children, Education and Families.

As part of this review, the Committee’s view and opinions on the document ‘Improving Education Outcomes – a strategic review’ (ESC6) are sought.

Our aim is to develop joint priorities which all stakeholders can support and work towards achieving. 

Consultation is essential to develop an effective local school improvement system which is fit for purpose, led by schools and multi-academy trusts, yet with the active engagement of key strategic partners including Oxfordshire County Council.

The Committee is RECOMMENDED to consider and comment on the Consultation.

A strategic review was being been undertaken on how Oxfordshire County Council and key stakeholders, including settings, schools, Trusts, Diocesan Authorities and parents could all contribute to further improve education outcomes for young people in Oxfordshire. This review had been commissioned by Lucy Butler, Director for Children, Education and Families.

As part of this review, the Committee’s view and opinions on the document ‘Improving Education Outcomes – a strategic review’ (ESC6) were sought.  The review aimed to develop joint priorities which all stakeholders could support and work towards achieving.

In introducing the report, Mr Hilliard, Deputy Director Education emphasised the importance of the Improving Education Outcomes Strategic Review which would help develop a 3-year Strategic Plan for Education across the whole of Oxfordshire.  The Plan would go out to consultation in September 2020 and would end on 28 February 2021.  The document would clarify the local authorities’ areas of responsibilities for children in all schools in Oxfordshire, including:

·   Schools and universal services working together with local, targeted and specialist services which was key to improving outcomes;

·   Shift the focus to prevention and early help through real partnerships and using resources effectively;

·   Support the most vulnerable, including children with SEND, to make sure everyone had an equal opportunity to become everything they wanted to be – for too many of our children and young people outcomes were not yet good enough;

·   Deliver responsive services that place children, young people and families at the heart of what we do.

The plan would be overseen by a Strategic Board and would include the Regional Schools Commissioner and Ofsted.

The Chairman, Councillor Michael Waine welcomed the document as a way of laying down the background from where we were to where we were going to in terms of where responsibilities.  There was a need to ensure the document was very clear who was responsible for what.  He welcomed the fact of the Regional School Commissioner being part of the Strategic Board.

The Committee made the following points during debate:

·            Children & Young People were healthier in Oxfordshire but drugs and alcohol misuse was higher than other authorities.

·            The Committee felt that the Funding & Skills Council should be included on the Board and that the position of the diocese and Anglican and Catholic MATs should be reflected.

·            OTSA Job Boards – should offer space on there to academies.

·            Further work was needed on teacher training as was very deficient on some secondary school subjects.

·            It was unclear how the bodies around the table would be the champions of that area of work.  How were deprived and disadvantaged represented around the table?

The Committee thanked Mr Hilliard for the report.

1:30

Members of Scrutiny Committee received an update on population trends affecting the provision of education services for children and young people in the county at its meeting on 4 September 2019.  The aims and objectives of a strategy to meet changing demand and promote sustainability for schools is set out in the report (ESC7). 

Aims

a)      Ensure sufficient places in mainstream schools for Oxfordshire’s growing population.

b)      Ensure sufficient provision for children with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities, not only to meet population growth, but also related to changing policy, practice and incidence of specific needs.

c)      Ensure sufficient Alternative Provision.

d)      Support Oxfordshire’s schools to respond to changes in demand, both down as well as up. 

Objectives

a)      Monitor demographic changes and housing growth in order to inform annual pupil forecasts.

b)      Plan for new schools and expansions of existing schools.

c)      Identify emerging spare building capacity which could be reallocated to other uses.

d)      Provide guidance to schools on maintaining their affordability/sustainability.

The Education Scrutiny Committee is RECOMMENDED to note the trends in requirements for pupil places and to note the action plan to be monitored by officers. 

Members of Scrutiny Committee received an update on population trends affecting the provision of education services for children and young people in the county at its meeting on 4 September 2019.  The Committee now had before it an action plan which set out aims and objectives of a strategy to meet changing demand and promote sustainability for schools (ESC7). 

In introducing the report, Allyson Milward and Barbara Chillman set out the factors affecting demand for education provision in the medium term, potential effects of those factors and a framework for actions to ensure sustainability of Oxfordshire schools.

The Strategy set out plans to ensure there was sufficient places in mainstream schools for Oxfordshire’s growing population; ensure sufficient provision for children with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities, not only to meet population growth, but also related to changing policy, practice and incidence of specific needs; ensure sufficient Alternative Provision was provided and that there was  support for Oxfordshire’s schools to respond to changes in demand, both down as well as up. 

The Plans objectives were to monitor demographic changes and housing growth in order to inform annual pupil forecasts; plan for new schools and expansions of existing schools; identify emerging spare building capacity which could be reallocated to other uses and to provide guidance to schools on maintaining their affordability/sustainability.

Mrs Milward report that the monitoring would be report back to a Schools Forum Stakeholder Group and that they were entering discussions with MATs to change their PAN in line with their areas.  Officers were also linking closely with SEND and Alterative Provision colleagues to link up areas of work.

They were also running three ‘Affordable Schools’ workshops on how to run affordable schools, including small schools working together to look at structural ways of saving money.

The Committee made the following points during discussion:

The Committee congratulated officers on how well this area of work performed.  The Governor’s Association welcomed the alternative use of accommodation, but they wanted assurances that any alternative use of schools was ok with the school as it may not be reasonable to have Alterative Provision in the main body of the school and that the education side was looked at as well as accommodation.

The Committee questioned whether they had used spaces for SEND children or whether the Primary Schools just had vacant spaces? In response, Barbara Chillman reported that spaces had been used for SEND children, but that the pace needed to be approved in terms of safeguarding.  In reality, there was not huge pockets of space currently, just one or two classrooms.

Diane Wilson on behalf of COTO welcomed any measures that would reduce surplus seats in schools to ensure the correct number of pupils to teachers.

The Chairman thanked the officers for their report and asked that any issues coming out of the Stakeholder Group be passed on to Scrutiny for consideration and that members be sent comparative school data from other authorities with statistical neighbours.

RESOLVED:  to note the trends in requirements  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4/20

1:50

Education Scrutiny Committee has requested an update on the Recommissioning of Alternative Provision for children and schools in Oxfordshire (ESC8).

The Education Scrutiny Committee is RECOMMENDED to consider and note this report.

In September 2019, the Committee had received an intitial report on plans to commission a range of Alternative provision (AP) for Oxfordshire with effect from September 2021.  The Committee had before them a report (ESC8) which set out a full programme of work which was underway for the tendering of longer-term commissioned alternative education places.

Deborah Bell, Head of Learner Engagement in introducing the report explained that the AP commissioning programme was on track with no slippage on timescales.  A full and extensive engagement exercise had already taken place with a wide range of stakeholders.  The main themes arising from this consultation was that AP needed to be local to where children were; secondary schools were keen to develop on-site provision; more support and advice was needed for primary schools in managing children who needed AP; that training was needed for parents around the behaviour of their children and that AP needed to be affordable within already very stretched budgets.

She went on to set out the timetable as outlined on page 2 of the report and cautioned that the AP budget was funded by the High Needs DSG block which was facing considerable pressure and that future provision would need to be contained within the available budget by seeking value for money options.

The Committee note that the cost of sending a child to Meadowbrook to the Authority was £200 per week and that provision needed to be based locally.  The welcomed the idea of Alternative Provision being based in schools where appropriate in terms of safeguarding and pressure on school finances.

The Committee thanked Deborah Bell for the update and requested a further update in September.

2:00

The report (ESC9) is the result of a deep dive by the Education Scrutiny Committee, as set out in its Forward Plan of work. The Committee formed a working group to take the deep dive forward, which met with key officers in the Education Service and visited four secondary schools to learn about good practice and innovation in teaching disadvantaged children.

This report sets out why attainment (and progress), particularly of disadvantaged children, was chosen as a deep dive topic, what examples of good practice in education of disadvantaged pupils at secondary schools the working group learned about, and sets out the Working Group’s conclusions for officers, Education Scrutiny Committee and the Cabinet Member for Education and Cultural Services. The Education Service is beginning the development of a comprehensive 3-year Education Strategy for Oxfordshire. This report is therefore presenting the findings of the deep dive investigation, and the Working Group's conclusions in the interim, ahead of this important scheme of work.

The Committee is RECOMMENDED to consider the conclusions of the report.

The Committee had before it a report (ESC9) which was the result of a deep dive by the Education Scrutiny Committee, as set out in its Forward Plan of work. The Committee formed a working group to take the deep dive forward, which met with key officers in the Education Service and visited four secondary schools to learn about good practice and innovation in teaching disadvantaged children.

This report set out why attainment (and progress), particularly of disadvantaged children, was chosen as a deep dive topic, what examples of good practice in education of disadvantaged pupils at secondary schools the working group learned about, and sets out the Working Group’s conclusions for officers, Education Scrutiny Committee and the Cabinet Member for Education and Cultural Services. The Education Service was beginning the development of a comprehensive 3-year Education Strategy for Oxfordshire. This report was therefore presenting the findings of the deep dive investigation, and the Working Group's conclusions in the interim, ahead of this important scheme of work.

Councillor John Howson in introducing the report, thanked members, officers and the schools who had taken part in the deep dive for their helpful advice and suggestions.

The Group had looked at good practice which was a key area for Oxfordshire and further consideration to how best practice could be disseminated and collaborated on needed further consideration.  Oxfordshire had made significant improvement to absolute deprivation figures, but further work was needed on Progress 8.

The Committee held a detailed debate around pupil premium and the difficulties of parent/pupil take up.  The Department for Work and Pensions held the information needed to allow schools to get the relevant funding and the Committee had previously written to the Government jointly with the Cabinet Member for Education & Culture imploring it to release the necessary information.

The Chairman suggested that a further briefing be drawn up for MPs to press the issue further.

Carole Thomson suggested that school admission forms could include a question on pupil premium.

RESOLVED: to agree the following conclusions from the report:

1.             Education Scrutiny Committee should consider adding to its Forward Plan the following items:

·       annual monitoring reports of both the progress and attainment of disadvantaged children across primary and secondary phases;

·       a report on levels of disadvantage compared with those in existing Opportunity Areas, by Parliamentary constituency.

2.             Education Scrutiny Committee should consider using its next visit from the Regional Schools Commissioner to ask how best practice can be actively disseminated and collaborated on by academies for the education of all children in Oxfordshire.

3.             Education Scrutiny Committee should consider asking Property Officers to consider investigating how the county council might work with District Councils, Universities, Dioceses and businesses around supporting accommodation access for teachers in the county, including reviewing any county council assets that may be suitable for use as rented teacher accommodation.

4.             The Educational Attainment Working Group asks the Cabinet Member for Education & Cultural Services to consider working with Communications on a campaign encouraging Pupil Premium registration.

5.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6/20

2:30

An opportunity to discuss and prioritise future topics for the Committee, potential approaches to its work and to discuss the schedule (ESC10) for future meetings.

The Committee considered the forward plan and AGREED that the Chairman and Vice Chairman, together with officers would manage the business on the current work programme for the efficient running of the Committee.

2:40

The information contained in the report is exempt in that it falls within the following prescribed category:

2        Information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual

It is considered that in this case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, in that such disclosure would infringe the rights of the individual to privacy contrary to the general law and the duty of the authority to respect human rights and to comply with that law.

An update on the implementation and outcomes of the revised In Year Fair Access Policy (IYFAP) has been requested by Education Scrutiny Committee.  In Year Fair Access protocols with schools are required under the terms of the statutory School Admissions Code 2014.  This is to afford a mechanism whereby children requiring a school place outside normal admissions rounds, where local places may not be available or when the child has additional vulnerabilities, can be offered a school place.

The protocol is designed to ensure a fair distribution of non-placed children across all schools.  In Year Fair Access protocols must be designed in collaboration with representative school leaders and agreed by the majority.  100% agreement is not required for the IYFAP to be valid and lawful.  

The information contained in the report was exempt in that it fell within the following prescribed category:

2          Information which was likely to reveal the identity of an individual

It was considered that in this case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information, in that such disclosure would infringe the rights of the individual to privacy contrary to the general law and the duty of the authority to respect human rights and to comply with that law.

The Committee received an update on the implementation and outcomes of the revised In Year Fair Access Policy (IYFAP) which had been requested by Education Scrutiny Committee.  In Year Fair Access protocols with schools were required under the terms of the statutory School Admissions Code 2014.  This was to afford a mechanism whereby children requiring a school place outside normal admissions rounds, where local places may not be available or when the child has additional vulnerabilities, can be offered a school place.

The protocol was designed to ensure a fair distribution of non-placed children across all schools.  In Year Fair Access protocols must be designed in collaboration with representative school leaders and agreed by the majority.  100% agreement is not required for the IYFAP to be valid and lawful.

The Committee noted the update. 

3:00

The information contained in the report is exempt in that it falls within the following prescribed category:

2        Information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual

It is considered that in this case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, in that such disclosure would infringe the rights of the individual to privacy contrary to the general law and the duty of the authority to respect human rights and to comply with that law.

This Annual Education Performance Report at key stage 4 gives a summary and overall analysis of key outcomes and progress measures.

The information contained in the report was exempt in that it fell within the following prescribed category:

2          Information which was likely to reveal the identity of an individual

It was considered that in this case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information, in that such disclosure would infringe the rights of the individual to privacy contrary to the general law and the duty of the authority to respect human rights and to comply with that law.

The Committee considered the Annual Education Performance Report at key stage 4 which gave a summary and overall analysis of key outcomes and progress measures.

3:20

The information contained in the verbal update is exempt in that it falls within the following prescribed category:

2        Information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual

It is considered that in this case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, in that such disclosure would infringe the rights of the individual to privacy contrary to the general law and the duty of the authority to respect human rights and to comply with that law.

The Deputy Director of Education will give a verbal update outlining Paper recent discussions with Ofsted.

The information contained in the verbal update was exempt in that it fell within the following prescribed category:

2          Information which was likely to reveal the identity of an individual

It was considered that in this case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information, in that such disclosure would infringe the rights of the individual to privacy contrary to the general law and the duty of the authority to respect human rights and to comply with that law.

The Deputy Director of Education gave a verbal update outlining Paper recent discussions with Ofsted.

The Committee noted the report.